Pure Circus

Because that’s what the Chinese State Circus has done and it’s ready to wow you with the results.

Gone is the big top, and Cirque de Soleil impressions. Circus bosses have taken it back to the beginning and have been scouring China for two years to gather together its finest acrobats and performers for new show Yin Yang coming to Oxford’s New Theatre.

That’s right, a circus on stage, which is the easy bit. The hard bit is finding the performers and the bar is set high. Which is why artistic director Philip Gandey, a third generation circuser, flew to four Chinese cities alone last year searching for the unknown and unseen.

“We’ve really given the Chinese State Circus a complete facelift,” Philip says. “So it’s now fast paced and the acts are dynamic, interesting and vibrant. In short, we are responding to what people want.”

So what did he find?

“Well, we have a new oriental swan duo who do ballet on pointes and she pirouettes on his head and pointes down his arms,” Philip says proudly. “And the grande finale is foot juggling with big drums but we also have the lion dance and loop divers for people who have been before because the Chinese State Theatre also has a strong identity and tradition to take into account.”

So why China? “Acrobatics in China are part of the culture and on a par with, if not above, ballet, opera and theatre.

“Children aged nine or 10 who show promise will be taken out of school and sent to a troupe to learn their craft and make it their career. They will start performing aged 14-16 and when they retire they get a pension and a flat, so it;s a prestigious profession,” Philip explains.

“As a result China has 200 state troupes so I apply through the Ministry Of Culture who tell me about any new acts I might be interested in and then fly over to have a look. If we like them we get them to practice with a choreographer and composer and then return a few months later to have a look. It’s a year from start to finish, a year in progress really,” he says. “And I talent spot every two years.”

But wouldn’t the performers prefer to stay in China?

“They love coming to the West. It’s their opportunity to get out and see countries they would not have otherwise seen. Plus it’s well paid.” And yet, however careful Philip is, things can still go wrong.

“Some of the acts can’t use safety harnesses because they couldn’t perform, so have to hang on with their feet alone. But they are professionals and rely on trust and training. Yes, there has been the odd broken arm and leg, but rugby is more dangerous,” Philip says. “Our performers are not infallible though and without wanting to sound dramatic they do risk their lives every night on stage.”

So if the performers are that good why did the Chinese State Circus need an update? “You’ve got to give the public what they want, and the feedback is that people don’t want a narrative anymore, so we’ve done away with the theatrical side and have gone back to pure circus.”

And then he pauses. “But then I’m a third generation circuser and when we started out it was all about how many elephants and lions you had. So I take great pride and pleasure in bringing these new acts to the UK and in so doing keep the circus evolving.”

And what of the artistes themselves. Are they demanding performers? “The most important thing to the Chinese is their food. They don’t like Western food. So we have a kitchen that we take with us everywhere and as soon as we arrive in a new place we take the performers straight to the Chinese supermarket because they have to have their own food. But then they are athletes and they need their nutrients. If they were eating a full English breakfast everyday they would get ill pretty quickly and be unable to perform.”

* The Chinese State Circus’s Yin Yang comes to the New Theatre Oxford on Thursday and Friday, January 19-20. Call 0844 871 3020 or see atgtickets.com/oxford